DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
The use of quick acting chucks is well known and in particular the use of pneumatic or hydraulic power to move the gripping members into place is conventional. There are many patents for such chucks issued in the United States Patent Office and also by foreign countries. The present invention is directed toward the precise gripping and positioning of gears which have been ground or shaved to establish a precise outer tooth configuration. These gears have their teeth formed to present a finished outer profile but the bore of this gear must now be precisely formed and this is usually accomplished by grinding since the outer surface of the gear has been heat treated to make the teeth, at least on their tooth surface, more durable.
Among those patents that are representative of the prior art are U.S. Pat. No. 4,116,453 to ANDRE as issued on Sept. 26, 1978 which shows a chuck which grips the work piece on the outer diameter. This chuck in its gripping actuation employs a pressurized air or fluid to move a piston and associated ramp components. Another patent of interest is U.S. Pat. No. 2,890,005 to GARRISON as issued on June 9, 1959. This patent has a split collet held by ramp members actuated by a hydraulic piston. The N. A. Woodworth Company of Detroit, Mich. is also very active in the chuck field and among the patents assigned to this company which are considered pertinent are U.S. Pat. No. 3,099,457 as issued to HOHWART et al. July 30, 1963; U.S. Pat. No. 3,104,886 as issued to HOHWART et al. on Sept. 24, 1963; U.S. Pat. No. 3,190,664 as issued to HOHWART et al. on June 22, 1965 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,344,695 as issued to HOHWART on Oct. 3, 1967.
In the present invention the several embodiments do not show nor suggest a chuck particularly for gears having their outer teeth profiles finished. This chuck uses the finished tooth contours into which precisely finished tapered pins are moved to secure this gear in a precise position and location. A stop is provided for the hub of the gear so that it is axially stopped in its attitude. The pins are arranged in pairs and are adjustably fixed in a selected position to accommodate helical, spur and spiral arranged gears. The teeth entering pins are moved inwardly by a hydraulically or pneumatically actuated ramp.